


Potions and Quidditch Connections

by katiet2014



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character Death, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Humor, Older Man/Younger Woman, Romance, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-26 00:49:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14390649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katiet2014/pseuds/katiet2014
Summary: This is going to be a three part series, primarily featuring a relationship between Hermione and George. I am keeping everyone as true to character as possible, and I am trying to stick to the main timeline that occurs from Order of the Phoenix to Deathly Hallows. There will be huge twists and turns along the way though. I am wanting each part of the series to be about 50k words. I started uploading this to ff.net at first, but I'm going to start uploading to here as well.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m trying to keep to the main plot of Order of the Phoenix as much as possible, but of course I will take my own artistic liberties. In this story, Hermione and George will have a slow build, but they will have consistent interactions throughout the entire story. I already have the plot planned out exactly how I want it to go, so hopefully my posting will be consistent. I want this story to cover Order of the Phoenix as well as Half Blood Prince, so it’s going to be a long one. I plan to post at least once a week, maybe more. This is my first fanfiction I have written in a really long time. This is the first time I’ve written in a while, period. So please be patient and not too harsh with me. I’m sure there are mistakes. Please review and help me out!

It is only 8 am and George’s day is already looking to be complete shite. Molly Weasley, his kind but bossy mother, ordered him to take the car to southeast England to pick up none other than Hermione Granger. You see, Hermione and George do not get along very well. They aren’t enemies by any means, but they aren’t best friends either. It’s just that Hermione and George each have two completely different personalities. George is a light-hearted prankster, whose personal mission is to make people laugh and enjoy life. Hermione is very intense and serious, and she doesn’t approve of the majority of Fred and George’s pranks. So, this is probably going to be a difficult car ride. With almost nothing in common personally, what will the two of them talk about? Of course there are the obvious “safe” topics, that is, if you consider Voldemort and the death of Cedric Diggory to be a safe topic. Harry is a mutual friend, and of course so is Ron, so yes they will probably discuss the events of last year that involved their mutual friends. But it is a lengthy car ride….that conversation will eventually end and they will be forced to talk about something else…  
Hermione was patiently waiting for her ride to the Burrow. She had already said goodbye to her parents. That was always the hardest part of going back to Hogwarts each year. She has such a good, healthy relationship with her parents. She wished that they could be part of her world, she wished that she could share every little detail with them. She wishes for this for many reasons. Not only does she want her parents to be part of her life in a real way, but she also wants someone to tell the little details to. She wants to be able to vent and find comfort in someone. Of course she has her two best friends, Harry and Ron. She can tell them anything. But does she tell them how terrified she is? Does she tell Harry how unfair her life is when he is the one who is being attacked every single year? Does she tell Ron how she wishes she had a boyfriend, when something such as a boyfriend seems so little and insignificant compared to the situation at hand? No…however close they all may be, there are some conversations that aren’t meant to enter into their friendship. Some conversations are meant to be had between parents and children. A child should be able to tell their parents anything and everything on their mind. And in the case that a parent isn’t an option, then you should be able to turn to a significant other. Your partner. Hermione wishes so badly that she had such a relationship with another person. No one at Hogwarts looks at her as “girlfriend material”. How trivial a statement, especially in this tense climate. But Hermione is, at the end of the day, a teenage girl. She has desires and dreams just like anyone else. Hermione wants a boyfriend. She thought that Victor might be able to fill that need in her life for a partner but there were too many variables to the situation. He was a little too old for her, lived too far away, and at the end of the day the connection just wasn’t there. She is looking for a strong connection with someone, someone who she feels comfortable enough to share her deepest fears and craziest dreams with. Maybe someday, maybe with someone.   
Finally she heard the familiar sound of the Weasley’s flying car. She quickly gathered her bags and walked downstairs expecting to see Mr. Weasley. She always looked forward to their car rides to and from the Burrow. Conversation came naturally between the two of them, he truly has become a father figure to her in the last few years. Hermione opened the front door to someone very unexpected.   
“George????” Hermione gasped, taking in the tall, broad (When did he get so much muscle?) red head. Shite, why is this happening to her?  
“Wow nice to see you too, Granger! So if you are not interested in a ride back to the Burrow, then I will just be going. It was nice to see you, have a nice day. Let’s do this again some time!” George was clearly annoyed by her response. As if he actually wanted to be picking up this stick in the mud in the first place? Hermione immediately regretted her reaction. Of course, how foolish of her to think that he even wanted to be here. Surely Molly forced him to do this little chore. Her face softened and she stepped a little closer to George.   
“I’m sorry, George. I was just surprised to see you is all. You see, Mr. Weasley picking me up every year has kind of become a tradition for me that I look forward to over the summer. He likes to talk about silly muggle things.” She laughed and nervously looked down at her shoes. Of course. George knew that Hermione and his dad had a strange relationship. They have always been kind of closer, she really was probably looking forward to seeing him.   
“That’s okay, Granger. I was only joking! Geez, lighten up will you! Now, let’s get this show on the road. Err…sky?” George knew the joke was lame but he just wanted to lighten the tension. Clearly this is going to be a bumpy ride.   
Once Hermione’s trunk was loaded into the car, she went back inside to grab Crookshanks, and then they were off. George, being the more outgoing of the two of them, decided that he should start the conversation off first. After a very awkward 10 minutes or so, he couldn’t stand it anymore.   
“Soooooo, that Voldemort…he is quite the creep, eh?” The red head tried to lighten the mood with a joke. Hermione immediately tensed up and whipped her head around to him.   
“George! That is so unfunny and inappropriate! A man is dead. And more will surely pass in the coming months as well. That isn’t something to joke about.” She paused for a moment and looked out the window before looking down at her hands. “Don’t worry, George. You don’t have to make conversation with me. Obviously, we have absolutely nothing in common other than the fact that Ron is your brother and Harry is your friend. Let’s just leave each other to our thoughts and enjoy these hours of peace.” George was stunned by her little speech. Actually no, he wasn’t stunned at all. Of course she would lecture him. Of course she would act like she is better than him. Merlin, why did he agree to this again?   
George just nodded his head and continued to drive. The two sat in silence for about 30 minutes before Hermione spoke up. She had started to feel a little guilty about her outburst. She would never understand how he could make a joke out of something so dark, but that didn’t give her the right to talk to him like that. After all, George knew Cedric and he was truly upset when Cedric was killed. Of course he didn’t think it was funny. She knew that he was only trying to make light of their awkward situation.   
“So George, are you looking forward to the next couple of days? We get to see Lupin and Sirius. I hear that an order meeting is happening at Grimmauld Place soon.” She slowly but matter-of-factly spoke to the stewing red head in the seat next to her. George kept his eyes ahead and made no move to respond to her. After about two minutes he finally spoke up.  
“I’m sorry, did you say something? I was really enjoying that peace you were screaming about a few minutes ago.” Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head, allowing a stifled laugh to make its way out of her mouth. Wow, he actually managed to make the stick in the mud laugh for once.   
“Well if you must know, yes, I am looking forward to the order meeting. Despite what you may think of me, Granger, I do have a brain and an interest in current events. I also have an interest in pranks, though, and once we arrive at Grimmauld Place, Gred and I will have many opportunites to prank the shite out of all those order members. I can’t wait to see the look on Kingsley’s face when Fred and I-“  
“No, absolutely not, George! You and Fred will NOT be disrupting this order meeting! It is of the utmost importance that they discuss everything that has happened and everything that is to come. Besides, you aren’t in the order and neither am I, so you won’t even be there to prank anyone.” The petite girl looked at him smugly with a confident smirk.   
“Oh yes, Granger. You just have it all figured out don’t you? You are absolutely right. Don’t worry, Fred and I will not be pranking anyone during the order meeting.” George said with a twinkle in his eye. Hermione knew that he was up to something but she thought it best to just let the subject go. Hermione decided to take a different approach to the conversation.   
“Are there any classes you’re looking forward to this year?” She was honestly curious if had any interests in school.  
“Actually, yes. I always look forward to potions every term. I’m actually one term ahead of my year in the subject. Bet you didn’t know that little fact about me, Granger.” George smirked, looking over at her.   
“Actually, no, I didn’t know that about you. That’s quite amazing, George. I’m sure your mum is very proud of you.” Wow, maybe there was something more to him. Now that he mentions it, it does take quite some skill to develop some of those silly pranks they pull at Hogwarts. However annoying those pranks are, some of them are admittedly impressive. George looked over to see the girl next to him in deep thought. She had a small smile on her face and her nose was scrunched up a bit, looking as if she is confused about something. Suddenly she looked up at him about to say something, but she paused and blushed when she noticed him looking down at her. When did George Weasley get so handsome?   
“See something you like, Granger?” The red head smirked.   
“Quite. I see that we are almost to the Burrow and soon to be out of this car.”  
Ouch…she did burn him there. But it was obvious to George that Hermione had been checking him out at least a little bit.   
“So what grade did you get in potions last year? Surely not better than me. I received an E, which means Exceeds Expectations. I’m sure you’re used to receiving an admirable A for Acceptable.” When did Granger get so sarcastically clever?   
“Actually, Ms. Granger, I received O. That means I did Outstanding.” He dragged out that last word, getting every bit out of it he could. Hermione’s face turned beet red and she looked away from his smug face. George just let a loud, barking laugh out.   
“Although you get an A, for Acceptable, for that nice little joke you pulled a second ago.” He reached out and patted her leg for good measure. She felt his strong hand grip her leg and blushed a little, but George didn’t notice. If Hermione didn’t know any better, she would think George was flirting with her. But he’s a flirt, or is that Fred?   
The burrow was only a few minutes away, but George and Hermione had just started to slip into comfortable conversation. It only took two hours.   
“So George, are you looking forward to playing quidditch again this year?”   
“Actually, I am considering stepping away from it this year.” Hermione gasped in shock. George loves quidditch. He keeps up with all of the professional teams and nearly cried at the quidditch world cup last summer. Plus, it’s no secret that he looks quite attractive out on the pitch. There’s a reason why every girl in Gryffindor adores him, and even some in Slytherin.   
“I love quidditch of course, but there are more important things to focus on right now. Fred and I have a lot of pranks planned for this year, and that requires a lot of time and energy. Pranks are dangerous; I’ll be the first to admit it. I don’t want something to go wrong and injure someone in a bad way.” There it is again. That side to George that Hermione was noticing. The more thoughtful, intelligent side of him was starting to show.   
Wow, since when was this soul-revealing hour? Why did he just say that? What a lame thing to say.   
“Well as admirable as that is, George, I think you would be making a huge mistake. You love quidditch and you are talented at it. Gryffindor would miss you. And even though I agree that if you are going to pull pranks then they need to be safe and efficient, I also think it is important to focus on doing things you love. Things that make you happy. It’s nice to make other people laugh, but you should be laughing and enjoying yourself as well.” Hermione reached over and gently squeezed his leg. George suddenly felt a warm pool form in his stomach and his ears turned a bright pink. Dang.   
“Geez, Granger. Hold yourself back over there. I know I’m sexy, but I’m not a piece of meat you can just grab at whenever you want.” He looked over at her coolly while a blush rose to her cheeks.   
“George Weasley! You are so conceited and unfunny sometimes! I was trying to be sincere.”   
“Merlin, Hermione! Take a joke for once. Please I’m begging you!” He laughed while making the desperate plea to the distraught girl in the seat next to him.   
“Thank God, we’re here. Now I can get out of this car and away from you and your nonsense.” Her harsh words struck a cord with the red head. He had started to actually enjoy her company and getting to know her more. Clearly she is as stuck up as he originally thought before the ride.   
“Yes we are here. You are welcome for the ride and you are also welcome for the stimulating conversation.” He said dryly, looking straight ahead.   
“I’m sorry, George. That was harsh and abrupt. Truly, I have enjoyed this car ride. It’s not what I’m used to with Mr. Weasley…but still, I enjoyed parts of it.” She said sincerely with a genuine smile. George just nodded and allowed a small smile to form. Hermione thought he was quite handsome when he smiled. Out of politeness, George responded to her sentiment.   
“We should continue our conversation at some point. It’s been nice getting to know you a bit more, Granger.” That would be nice, she thought. Of course George was just being polite, though.   
“Yes, that would be quite nice.” She said curtly.   
They had finally touched down at the Burrow, and exited the car. George helped Hermione with her trunk and bags. Ginny and the rest of the family ran out to greet Hermione. She was well loved by the Weasleys, and always welcome in their home. She is considered family, but George never thought of her as a sister. He cares for her and is protective of her, but their relationship has never been that of family. He thought she was far too attractive to be his sister. Just because she was a stick in the mud didn’t mean that she couldn’t be attractive. The bloke has eyes.   
Once the hugs and greetings were over, they all went inside to bed. The rest of the Weasley family had already eaten, as it was pretty late when they arrived at the house. So George went up to his room and Hermione went up to her room she shared with Ginny. Neither of them said goodnight to the other.   
That night, Hermione lay awake in her bed and George lay awake in his bed, both bashfully thinking how they hoped they would get to continue their conversation.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you to those who have followed this story. This is just a quick, short chapter. Please please please let me know what you think! I would appreciate reviews soooo much! Thank you for reading! I'm really excited for this story. This chapter may seem like George and Hermione are moving kind of fast, but it'll slow down a little after this chapter.

Hermione awoke the next morning already looking forward to the day ahead. She and Ginny had so much to catch up on. Of course Ginny wanted to know every little detail of what Harry wrote to Hermione over the summer. Ginny was always hoping that Harry would mention her to Hermione. Harry and Hermione didn't normally discuss relationships, as neither of them really had one. And when it came to relationships, it just seemed silly given the current situation they were all in. Most people automatically assume that Harry and Hermione have a relationship. After all, she is more affectionate towards him than Ron. She considers Harry to be her very best friend, so they appear to be very close when viewed by outsiders. Harry has a great personality and he is very handsome, but he just isn't Hermione's type. Actually, Hermione isn't really sure what her type is exactly, she just knows that Harry isn't it.

"So, how was the ride yesterday? Did George drive you crazy?" The small red headed girl plopped down on the bed beside Hermione.

"Actually, it was kind of nice. It started out sort of rough, but we ended up having a productive conversation by the end of it all." Hermione smiled, remembering the topics they discussed yesterday. Who knew George had so many different sides to him?

"What are you acting so smiley about?" Ginny asked, looking very amused at Hermione's sudden blush.

Hermione looked down at her hands before answering. Why was she acting so strange over a silly little car ride? It's not like George is really her friend, and it's not like he even cares about the conversations they had yesterday. She shouldn't be giving it so much thought.

"I'm not being 'smiley' as you called it. George and I just had a nice conversation about school, quidditch, you know, just normal Hogwarts things. Nothing interesting at all. He was honestly kind of annoying at times. I was glad to be rid of him." She was probably over doing it a little bit...Ginny looked pretty skeptical at her last little statement. Of course she wasn't happy to be rid of him. George is sweet, funny, and apparently really smart. It was refreshing to have a light conversation yesterday amidst all of the chaos that has happened over the past few years. The more she thought about, George was like a breath of fresh air to her. She wished they could have more moments like that together in the future, but that really is not likely at all. He is always with Fred, and she is always with Ron and Harry.

George woke up and went straight down the hall to use the bathroom and then started to head downstairs for breakfast, but he heard his name come from Ginny's room. She and Hermione were talking about him. "...kind of annoying at times. I was glad to be rid of him." Ouch. Was that really what she thought of their conversation yesterday? George knew he could be annoying but he thought they had a pretty nice talk yesterday. There was a good balance of humor, bickering, and they even had some deeper moments. George told Hermione some things that he hadn't even told his twin. Bitch.Wait no, that was wrong. Hermione isn't a bitch. He could never really think that about her. But what was he supposed to think of that? Then again, why should he care what Granger thought of him? They had barely even spoken before yesterday. Clearly, that conversation had meant nothing to her, so it shouldn't mean anything to him either. If she doesn't care, then neither does he. Of course, that is a lie though. It felt good to talk about his goals and his hopes with someone. It's difficult for him to talk about some of those things with Fred, or anyone else in his family for that matter. George has just always been viewed as a goofy prankster. It would seem weird for him to just start randomly talking about how well he was doing in potions, or his plans to quit quidditch. His job was to make people laugh, not bring them down with serious conversation topics. Hermione is a good listener with valuable opinions, so it was nice to talk to her yesterday. Obviously, that won't be happening again. And now, George knows better than to trust her with sensitive information. Still curious though, he continued to listen to the rest of the conversation between the two girls.

"Right...you were glad to be rid of him? So is that why your face is the same color is George's hair right now?" Ha! He and Fred really must be rubbing off on Ginny, that was a good one. She's blushing. Interesting. Hermione blushes a lot, and gets flustered easily though, so that doesn't really mean anything.

"Fine. Yes, we had a good conversation that I personally, did not want to end. I truly enjoyed the time we spent together yesterday. It was different. George is different." Damn. Well that made George blush pretty hard, which is strange. Unlike Hermione, he doesn't get flustered too easily and he definitely never blushes.

"What do you mean, different? How so?"

"Well, it's hard to explain. I don't want to sound silly..." Hermione trailed off. She was being bashful, George thought that was cute. He wanted to see her face, so he peeked through the crack in the door just a bit more. Too much.

"GEORGE! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. They caught him. Shit.

"What? Can't a brother check on his sister? I was just peeking in real quick to see how you were doing. What's the big deal?" He was blushing pretty furiously at this point. He couldn't bring himself to look at Hermione. She was probably feeling quite embarrassed right about now.

"The big deal is that we were having a private conversation that you just completely intruded on. You need to apologize to Hermione. Now." The red headed girl demanded. George just wanted to slowly back away and run downstairs.

He looked down at his feet and apologized to Hermione, "Hermione, I am very sorry for intruding. It won't happen again."

"Thank you, George." Hermione said as she quickly crushed past him and out of the room, leaving the two siblings alone.

"You've really done it now, George. So how much did you hear?" Ginny was furious with him.

"I honestly didn't hear much at all! Mainly just the part about her saying that we had a nice conversation. That's pretty much it." Ginny just rolled her eyes at his obviously pathetic explanation. So she can pretty much assume that he heard everything. Great. Poor Hermione. She must be so embarrassed.

"Well, I guess I should see where she went off to and fix the mistake you just made. You can be really annoying sometimes, George."

"Wait, let me talk to her. Please? I want to give her a proper apology. Just let me handle it." And with that, George turned out of the room to look for Hermione.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers! I have had a lot of free time recently, so I've been writing every chance I get. I have a lot of ideas for once our characters actually get to Hogwarts, so I am really just trying to hurry up and set the foundation for when they get there. I have been really inspired by some songs in the past few days that are really going to influence my writing for the rest of the story. The next chapter is especially inspired by a song, so when I post chapter 4, I will also post the song title so you guys can listen to it! Please please please please please leave me a review! I want to know what you all think of the story so far. Do you think I'm staying true to Hermione and George's personalities? That is one of the most important things for me. Thank you for reading, and again, reviews would be so appreciated!
> 
> -Katie

George ran downstairs trying to catch up with a very distraught Hermione. She may get flustered easily, but she has a solid emotional foundation and her feelings don't get hurt often. Through her years of being teased and mocked for being muggle born, she has learned not to take things to heart. Because of this, George knew that he must have really screwed up to upset Hermione so much. He caught up with his fellow Gryffindor in the kitchen. She was wiping tears from her eyes. George felt like a right dick just then.

He started whispering, "Hermione, I am so sorry for eavesdropping on your conversation with Ginny. If it helps, I honestly didn't hear very much. What's got you so upset?" He walked towards her, but made no attempt to touch her at all. He didn't want to upset her any further. Hermione just shook her head and looked down at her pale blue shoes.

"I'm just embarrassed. You were never meant to hear any of that. It sounded like I was confessing my love for you or something…" Hermione trailed off and even started to chuckle a little bit at the thought of being in love with George Weasley. Maybe she was overreacting a bit.

George gave a tender smile and laughed quietly. "Well what would be so funny about loving me? I'm a loveable guy. I'm- how did you put it- ah, different." He cheekily winked at her. Hermione just rolled her eyes and looked in the other direction towards the window. George was being sweet, trying to make her laugh in such an awkward situation. That's what she needed more of. Laughter. She doesn't laugh enough. Sure, she has plenty of fun times with Ron and Harry; and she wouldn't trade her friendship with them for the world. It truly is a perfect bond of trust, loyalty, and love. But with everything the three of them have been through together, their relationship definitely takes more of a serious tone. In fact, none of them laugh enough.

Hermione wished that she had someone like George around to constantly lighten the mood. Thinking about that further though, that is such a huge responsibility. Fred and George are always charged with bringing the fun, the laughs, the energy. Is that who they truly are, or is that all just a façade? Hermione truly believes that George is kind and only wants to humor people, right down to the very heart of himself. But not everyone is like that all the time. It has to be exhausting at times.

Hermione suddenly got the courage to be direct with him for a moment, "George, do you ever become exhausted from making people laugh? Do you every wish that you could just relax and not worry about humoring someone, or making them feel better?" George wondered where such a charged question had come from. No one had ever really cared to ask him that before.

George slowly nodded, "Well, that is a difficult question to answer. My favorite thing to do in the world is to make people laugh. I love pulling pranks, seriously. It's never been exhausting for me to make someone else laugh. It just comes so naturally, so easily. But, I will say that sometimes I do wish that I could just relax. It's like second nature for me to get a laugh out of someone, or to pull a prank. That doesn't mean that it isn't a little tiring sometimes though. Exhausting? No. A bit tiring at times? Yes." Typically, George wouldn't have given such an honest answer. However, he had invaded on Hermione's personal feelings, so he thought it was only fair to reveal some of his own personal feelings. It actually felt nice for him to get that off his chest. He does wish he could just sit back and relax more. Most people don't realize how in tune Fred and George are with the feelings around them. Hermione realizes that, clearly, otherwise she wouldn't have asked that question.

Hermione locked eyes with him and smiled, "Well it's very admirable of you to be so willing to ignore your own feelings for those of the people around you." That really struck a cord with George. No one had ever acknowledged the fact that he was doing a service to those around him. He was usually viewed more as a nuisance than anything else. Not that he wanted people to really acknowledge all of this anyways. He honestly preferred that people didn't view him as some saint of humor. He liked being goofy George. It suits him. But having this beautiful, intelligent girl stand in front of him, appreciating his knack for making his friends laugh, it made him feel quite nice. George realized he was staring at her and quickly looked away. Hermione was looking out the window at this point, so she hadn't realized how long his eyes lingered on her face. He decided to chance another glance. Hermione has such soft facial features; a petite nose, soft eyes with strong color, and supple lips. She's beautiful. Most people didn't see that outward beauty in Hermione, but George took strong notice to how pretty she is. Her heart is beautiful as well, but most people don't notice her physical features. Now, this doesn't mean that George has any kind of romantic feelings towards the witch, it just means that he appreciates both her inward and outward beauty. That's harmless, right?

Watching Hermione stare outside the window, George decides just then that he needs to be friends with this girl. He doesn't quite understand why he suddenly feels so strongly that he needs her friendship, but he knows that it is important to him for some reason. There is just something about her that he doesn't want to lose.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes, George finally speaks up. "Hermione, I was thinking that maybe we could study for potions together once a week or something like that when we get back to Hogwarts." His suggestion started off strong, but he slowly started trailing off into a whisper. He was suddenly nervous that she would say no. He looked at her expectantly, hoping she wouldn't find the offer too strange. She looked away from the window and was now looking at George. She did have a bit of a confused look on her face.

"So you want to study together once a week? That doesn't sound unreasonable. Will we be study partners, or will I just be doing your homework for you? Because if you expect me to just do your work for you, then you are sorely mistaken, George Weasley." She attempted to sound stern, but her voice sounded so soft.

"Hermione! I am deeply, deeply offended. I would never take advantage of such a situation!" The red head winked at her. He stepped a bit closer to he, just an arm's length away. He reached down to her face and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and started to whisper. "Being completely serious though, I would quite enjoy your company in the library throughout the term." Hermione was blushing profusely at both the contact and the suggestive tone of George's voice. George on the other hand was slightly confused by her reaction. You see, he is quite the ladies man, and he is used to be sort of touchy with girls in general. Just in a flirtatious way, of course. This made him wonder if Hermione might feel something for him, maybe a crush? He cares for Hermione and thinks she is absolutely gorgeous, but he doesn't view her in a romantic way like that. He decides that he should probably be more careful around her when it comes to interactions like that; wouldn't want to give her the wrong idea.

"Uhm…I guess I would like to study together every so often. I will be very busy though, so it probably won't be every single week. And again, I will not be doing your work for you." The bushy-haired girl clarified. She still had a tinge of pink on her soft cheeks.

"How about we make a deal, Granger. You help me with homework every once in a while, and I will teach you how to properly ride a broom. Just to be absolutely clear though, I do not expect you to do my work for me. Your help would be appreciated at times, but the main idea is just to be study partners." George smiled innocently at her; he genuinely did just want to study together. Of course it will be nice to have a smart person there for additional help, but he is plenty smart enough to do his own work. However, he did like the idea of watching Hermione struggle on a broomstick.

"And what exactly makes you think that I would even want to learn to ride one of those death traps?"

"Come on, it'll be fun! I will make sure you're safe. I wouldn't send you up in the air unless you were 100 percent ready. Besides, haven't you always wanted to participate in the quidditch games we play at the burrow? Now you'll actually be part of the action!" George was really hoping she would accept his offer. He thinks it would be humbling for her to try something she isn't so good at, and it would also give her the chance to let loose a little.

Hermione bit her lip for a moment before locking eyes with the tall red head. "Fine."

"Great! It's a deal then." George smiled at her and she smiled back. After a second, it got a little awkward as they realized the conversation had pretty much come to a close at this point.

"Would you want to walk around outside with me? I'm just going to have my breakfast outside, it's beautiful out today." George thought it was only polite to offer for her to join him.

"Actually, I'm just going to go back upstairs now. I have a few books I need to catch up on before term starts." Hermione started to move towards the kitchen exit. George just nodded and waved her off.

So Hermione Granger is his new study partner. That's a little strange. But he is genuinely excited to spend more time with his little brother's bushy haired best friend.

PLEASE REVIEW!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. I've been really inspired to write the past couple of days, so hopefully this will be a good chapter. Please keep in mind that this is the first fanfic I have written in years lol. Also, I just want to clarify something real quick: I LOVE the Order of the Phoenix movie, and I love the book as well. But this fic is mainly inspired by the movie. Just wanted to be clear on that little point.

Hermione was sitting upstairs in Ginny's room thinking about the school year ahead. She was especially looking forward to Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions this year. Potions has always been her weaker subject, but she made sure to study as much as possible over the summer holiday. So, she felt pretty prepared. Potions…that made her think of her new "study partner", George. Ha! As if George Weasley would actually seriously study with her this term. Besides, having a study partner would mess with her homework routine. Hermione always looks forward to going to the library and listening to her muggle music while doing her schoolwork. It was a way for her to unwind, and the music helped her focus even more. She loves listening to calm, indie music. She frowned a bit, thinking about the possibility that George would potentially ruin her daily routine. Oh well, it's not as if he will actually stay committed to this little agreement. Attempting to comfort herself a bit, Hermione took out her iPod, plugged in her headphones, sat back on her bed, and closed her eyes as she listened to her favorite Lumineers song. However, her thoughts kept drifting back to a certain redheaded Weasley twin.

George was taking a walk around the property that encompassed the burrow, thinking about the school year ahead. As he has gotten older, he has started to take school a bit more seriously. Not too serious that it distracts him from pranks and quidditch, but he has devoted a little more time to studying. George still isn't sure what exactly he wants for his future once he's finished with school. Of course, he wants to open a joke shop with Fred, but he has been considering doing something more with his life as well. It's just all so confusing to him, and it's not like he can talk to Fred about this. Well, he could…but he doesn't want Fred to think that he isn't committed to their future plans. Fred can also be sort of harsh when the mood strikes him right, and this subject isn't something George wants to be teased about. If he is really going to study with Hermione this term, then they will definitely need to be secretive about it. George isn't embarrassed to take school seriously, and he is not ashamed of his high marks in Potions. However, he is concerned for the feelings of his twin. He doesn't want to hurt Fred, or have Fred doubt his commitment to the future they have planned together.

So, George and Hermione are going to have to be quite secretive when it comes to studying. She will have to be the one to decide on a study location; it absolutely cannot be somewhere as public as the library. Since Fred knows all of George's secret nooks and crannies within Hogwarts Castle, it's up to Hermione to pick a private spot. Of course, she will probably not want to go to the trouble and she will question him about his reasons for such privacy. Why can't she just go along with something without asking questions for once? Although George hasn't had very many conversations with the witch, she has always been known to be difficult to deal with. So why did he suggest they study together…? This has got to be his dumbest idea yet. At least she is pretty, and she can be helpful when she wants to be. So yeah, she's difficult and questions everything too much…but maybe George has a soft spot for the witch.

Walking back into the house, and up the stairs towards Ginny's room, George was hoping that the coming conversation would be an easy one. He knocked on the door hoping that Hermione would open the door and not his annoying little sister. The door slowly creaked open, revealing the young woman he was looking for.

"Ah, hello again, Granger!" The tall red head pushed past her into the bedroom and promptly closed the door behind him.

Hermione gasped at his bruteness and was completely prepared to tell him off. That was, until she saw the look on his face. Was he nervous?

"George…what exactly do you think you are doing barging in here like that? You are on a tight rope with me as it is."

"Well that is unfortunate, as that will only make the question I'm about to ask you that much worse." He was stumbling a bit on his words, which was uncharacteristic for him.

"Well get on with it then. What's your question?" Hermione was becoming quite impatient, especially with his rude behavior.

"So. You know how I asked you to study with me this term? Well, I still want to do that, but there is a small complication. No one can know about it. Therefore, we will not be studying in the library. Which means, we need to find a new spot that no one else knows about. I can't choose the spot because Fred knows all of my usual places, so it's up to you. What do you think?" Hermione's eyes came to a squint and her nose bunched up. She looked to be in deep thought, and she hadn't said anything for nearly a minute.

"George Fabian Weasley! I know EXACTLY what you are up to! I've heard the stories from Katie Bell and the other Gryffindor girls. You are trying to seduce me! Studying? As if. I should have known you would be trying something like this. You are shameless, as if you would actually care if someone saw you studying! You just want to get me alone so you can have your way with me! You are disgusting! Ugh!" The young witch's face had turned a bright red color that would rival George's hair. She was fuming.

"Seduce you?! What the hell, Granger! I actually want to study with you but I can see that your mind is the one in the gutter! I would never try to seduce you in a million years!" Hermione's face fell at that last statement. Of course, she did not want George to attempt at seduction, but was she really that vile to him? Was she that unappealing? George watched her face fall and her lip start to quiver. He quickly tried to recover.

"Oh, uhm, not that I wouldn't love to…uhhh have your attention in that way! It's just that if I were to fancy you, I wouldn't be so low as to drag you off in private and try to pressure you into something. I would court you of course. But yeah, uhhh…you have great…features!" George smiled awkwardly at her, hoping that his attempt to save his arse had worked. The curly headed brunette's thin lips curved into a small smile, and she rolled her eyes.

"Well, George, thank you for that strange speech. But it doesn't help my confusion. Why don't you want to be seen with me?" Hermione was trying to regain some of her composure, but it hurt her to think that George would be embarrassed to be seen with her. Not that she cares what he thinks of her, but still, that would hurt anyone's feelings.

George's heart was slowly breaking at her expression. He is truly screwing this up.

"Oh, no, Hermione. You are definitely confused, sweetheart. Let me try to explain this again. First off, let's get one thing straight. I have absolutely no problem with being seen with you. You are the most brilliant witch at Hogwarts! Why wouldn't I want to be seen with you? Now, silly girl, I mainly don't want Fred to see us studying together. You see, we have big plans for once we finish school. We want to open a joke shop in Diagon Alley. It has always been a dream of ours. I still would love to do that, but I am kind of thinking I might want to do more with my life as well. I would love to learn more about potions, and see if there are any job opportunities for me in the world that I can do along with manage the shop. However, if Fred caught wind of this, he might think that I'm not committed to the future we have planned together. Which is crazy, of course I want to open a shop with my brother, but I feel like maybe there's more for me out there as well. I'm rambling now, but yeah that's the jist of it. Do you understand now?" George was searching her eyes, looking for a sense of comprehension.

"Hmm...yeah that makes sense. I can understand that. Do you see what can happen when you simply take time to thoroughly explain yourself, George? Half of this argument could have been completely avoided had you simply used your brain!" Hermione half-heartedly scolded him. She couldn't help but dwell on the fact that he called her 'sweetheart'. She had never heard him call anyone by that before, not even Ginny. Not even Katie Bell, who he often flirted with. It made her feel sort of warm and fuzzy, kind of the way Viktor used to make her feel. Obviously, she didn't like George in a warm and fuzzy sense, but it was nice to be called sweetheart. After all, Hermione isn't blind or hard of seeing; it is clear that George is quite handsome. It's nice to be called sweetheart by handsome guys.

"Yes. Well. Glad to have that cleared up. Let me know when you figure out a good study spot. We'll have to work out a schedule or something in the mean time. But until then, I must find Fred so we can figure out how we can torment dear Ron today." Said the red head with a mischievous smirk. Hermione just smiled in return and ushered him towards the door.

Hermione couldn't help the blush that crept up to her face as she kept thinking about George calling her sweetheart.

George couldn't help but think how cute Hermione was when her nose got all scrunched up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Okay so I have been doing A LOT of thinking over the past week and a half. I know exactly where I want this story to end up. There will be a lot of twists and turns to get there, and it's going to be a long road. But the ending will be totally worth it. This might be a three part series. I'm thinking that each part will probably end up around 50k words. Also, for the sake of the story and my creativity, we are going to pretend that some of the songs that will be mentioned in the future were written during this time period. Obviously, bands such as The Lumineers were not a thing during this year. But that is irrelevant to this fic, so let's all just pretend. As always, please consider leaving me a review.


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